And he looked, and, behold, [there was] a cake baked on the coals,.... Just took off the coals, quite hot. Bochart q thinks it should be rendered, "baked on hot stones"; and such was the way of baking cakes in some of the eastern countries, Genesis 18:6, the stones hereabout might be heated by a supernatural power, and the cake baked on them by an angel; these sort of cakes are in Hebrew called "huggoth", as some pronounce the word, and are said to be now common in Bulgaria, where they are called "hugaces" r:
and a cruse of water at his head; to drink of in eating the cake; which cruse or pot a learned man s thinks was Elijah's, not brought by the angel, only water put into it by him; see 1 Samuel 26:11, and he did eat and drink; but not all that was set before him:
and laid him down again; to take some more sleep for his greater refreshment.
q Hierozoic. par. 1. l. 2. c. 33. col. 528. r Busbequius apud Calmet on the word "Bread". s Schacchi Elaeochrism. Myrothec. l. 1. c. 44. col. 224.